Not quite a mass trespass

Celebrating 50 years of Mountain Training on Kinder Scout

Mountain Training celebrated its 50th anniversary on Thursday 16th October with a well-attended walk up Kinder Scout. Rab Carrington, Chair of Mountain Training England and founder of outdoor clothing company Rab, led the walk from Edale on a gloriously sunny afternoon. He was joined by representatives from Mountain Training and the British Mountaineering Council, as well as the Mountain Training Association (MTA) and Thornbridge Outdoors.

Rab praised those involved in the last 50 years of Mountain Training during which 45,000 leadership qualifications have been gained by outdoor (and increasingly indoor) enthusiasts in walking, climbing and mountaineering, with hundreds of thousands more benefiting from their experience and dedication.

Throughout the walk there was much talk about the future and how activities such as walking, climbing and mountaineering might evolve over the next 50 years, with consequent needs for changes in training.

Rab Carrington on Kinder Scout

BMC Hill Walking Development Officer Carey Davies said: “The partnership between the BMC and Mountain Training has been indispensable over the years and continues to evolve.

“Both organisations are working together to expand their reach beyond their ‘traditional’ audience and stay relevant, and I am excited by the possibilities this represents for the future. For example the new Hill and Mountain Skills courses are aimed at giving beginner walkers the confidence and self-reliance to explore the wild spaces of the uplands.”

The walk from Edale followed the Grindsbrook valley to the summit plateau and down via Jacob’s Ladder, finishing in The Cheshire Cheese Inn in the Hope Valley (one of the few pubs that acts as a base for Mountain Training courses).

Rab commented: “Today’s walk brought together all of the aspects which make mountaineering so wonderful; beautiful scenery, great company and a common goal. We now move on to the next 50 years with exciting new awards which are designed to meet the needs of the next generation of walkers, climbers and mountaineers.”